1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector through which a contact group of a memory card is connected to a circuit of a machine such as a computer or the like.
A multi-pole electrical connector is often arranged such that, in order to reduce the deformation of individual contacts forming a contact group of the connector, as well as to prevent the precision from being lowered, such contacts are adapted to overlap, by short distances, contacts forming a contact group of a memory card when the same is inserted into the connector. Further, the multi-pole electrical connector is often arranged such that the fixation of the memory card at the setting position is maintained by a contact pressure between the contact group of the memory card and the contact group of the connector.
There is known an electrical connector of the type above-mentioned in which, when inserting a memory card into the setting position therein, the contacts of the memory card come in contact with the contacts of the connector immediately before the memory card reaches the setting position, in which, when the memory card is then pushed into the setting position, the contacts of both the memory card and the connector overlap by a distance corresponding to the distance of such a movement of the memory card thus pushed, and in which the memory card is fixed at the setting position by a contact pressure between the contact groups of both the card and the connector. In such a connector, a suitable overlapping distance of the contacts of the connector on the contacts of the card may be set to 5 to 6 mm, or 1 mm or less.
2. Description of the Invention
To prevent a memory card inserted into the setting position in an electrical connector of the type above-mentioned, from being erroneously pulled out, it is proposed to provide a machine on which the connector is to be mounted, with a memory card inserting/pulling port having such a lid as to prevent the memory card at the setting position from being held by the hand.
In a connector in which the contact overlapping distance is very short, however, when the memory card as properly inserted into the setting position is moved in the pulling direction, this involves the likelihood that the contacts of the memory card are separated from the contacts of the connector even though the movement of the memory card is very small. Accordingly, there are instances where, in a connector mounted on, for example, a motor vehicle apt to receive vibration, the memory card properly inserted into the setting position is gradually moved in the pulling direction due to vibration exerted to the connector, so that the contacts of the memory card are separated from the contacts of the connector, thus causing the inconvenience of injury to the state of signal transmission/reception between the memory card and the connector. Such inconvenience may also be caused when the memory card is erroneously manually pulled out from the proper position.
To prevent such inconvenience, it may be proposed to arrange the connector such that, when the memory card is retreated from the proper setting position, the connector is capable of immediately detecting such a retreat. In order that the connector having contacts adapted to overlap the contacts of the memory card by a very short distance, is provided with such a function, it is required to dispose a mechanism for detecting, without fail, a retreat of the memory card even though the distance of such a retreat is small. However, such a mechanism requires high precision to increase the cost, leading to increase in cost of the connector in its entirety.
It may also be proposed to dispose a lid at the memory card inserting/pulling port. However, such a lid not only decreases the maneuverability of inserting/pulling a memory card, but also requires a lid mounting space. Thus, the provision of such a lid not only presents disadvantages in view of maneuverability and mounting space, but also increases the production cost.